Nate and Melissa
Saturday August 15th, 2009
3:00 pm
Devon Lane Farm
Belchertown, Mass
WELCOME: (Kim says)
Welcome everyone. Of behalf of Melissa and Nate, I would like welcome you all here and thank you for joining them on this very special day.
For many of you, it was not easy to get here – we realize that traveling to Belchertown is quite a trip. The bride and groom are forever grateful to all of their family and friends who could be here today. Your presence and participation shows how much you care and that means a great deal to them both.
For those who do not know me, I am Kimberly Shattuck Steward and I am Nate’s cousin. Nate and I share not only the family name of Shattuck but we also share a connection to our local fire departments; for I am also a volunteer on a small town fire dept. When Nate learned that I was additionally a Justice of the Peace in the State of New Hampshire, he decided that I would be the perfect fit to perform this ceremony. With special permission from the Commonwealth, here I am.
And now, please let us remember those loved ones that cannot join us here today—Though not here in body, we know they are here in spirit.
-pause
INTENTIONS: (Kim says)
Melissa, will you have Nate as your husband, in times of good fortune as well as adversity, forsaking all others to be a kind and faithful wife? Do you promise to base your life with Nate on love, caring and understanding? Will you pledge to speak and to listen, to give and receive, and be considerate of his wishes and desires. Do you promise never to deny Nate his sweets, to always remember where you hid his belongings after cleaning the house and to chase cows down Route 202, regardless of the weather conditions?
Melissa says: I will
Nate, will you have Melissa as your wife, in times of good fortune as well as adversity, forsaking all others to be a kind and faithful husband? Do you promise to base your life with Melissa on love, caring and understanding? Will you pledge to speak and to listen, to give and receive, and be considerate of her wishes and desires. Do you promise give her a kiss before you leave for any fire-calls, accept her addiction to chap-stick and do you promise to ‘consider’ letting new felines into your lives?
Nate says: I will
VOWS: (Kim says)
Melissa, please repeat after me
We have come together to make a marriage
of our true friendship and love.
We shall share with each other in gladness,
strengthen each other in labor,
minister to each other in sorrow,
and be one with each other
in the memories of life.
We shall make a home
of the place where we dwell
and there we shall gather wisdom
from the seasons of life.
I, Melissa, take you Nate,
to be my husband.
I accept you as you are,
and ask that you be no one but yourself.
I promise to love you
from this day forward
and for all the days of our lives.
Nate, please repeat after me
We have come together to make a marriage
of our true friendship and love.
We shall share with each other in gladness,
strengthen each other in labor,
minister to each other in sorrow,
and be one with each other
in the memories of life.
We shall make a home
of the place where we dwell
and there we shall gather wisdom
from the seasons of life.
I, Nate, take you Melissa
to be my wife.
I accept you as you are,
and ask that you be no one but yourself.
I promise to love you
from this day forward
and for all the days of our lives.
EXCHANGE OF RINGS: (Kim says)
The rings that you are about to exchange mark the beginning of a long journey together. They are also a symbol of eternity, a circle that has no end. Let your rings be a reminder of your union and of the love that you share for each other. As a ring is unbroken, so will your love for each other be without end.
Madison will have rings in a pouch on her collar.
Melissa, as you place the ring on Nate’s finger, please repeat after me
The words I say to you now
are words I say in friendship, respect, and love.
I see in you a strong, growing partner,
the person with whom I wish to share my life.
I offer you all the days before me,
no matter what may come our way.
I freely take you as my husband.
Please take this ring as a symbol of my commitment
Nate, as you place the ring on Melissa’s finger, please repeat after me
The words I say to you now
are words I say in friendship, respect, and love.
I see in you a strong, growing partner,
the person with whom I wish to share my life.
I offer you all the days before me,
no matter what may come our way.
I freely take you as my husband.
Take this ring as a symbol of my commitment
Blessing of the Apaches:(Kim reads)
Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you. May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years.May happiness be your companion and your days togetherbe good and long upon the earth.
ClOSING: (Kim says)
Today I am privileged to share with you, the moment you begin your new life together. In the years ahead, may you always apply tenderness and strength to the trials of life that may befall you. May you love for each other be a shield from the unpredictability of life. May you remember to rejoice in good times and good fortune and always appreciate the life that you have found with each other.
And now, it gives me great pleasure to say: by the power vested in me by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I now pronounce you husband and wife.
You may kiss your bride.